The Betrayal
by RowArk
Summary: Still reeling from Lewis's trial, Olivia is forced to face the reality that either someone close to her was involved the whole time, or she really may be losing it.
1. Chapter 1: Mystery Man

_We need to talk._

What was it about those four innocent words that made her heart sink? The words resonated in Olivia's mind. She played them over and over, in her head, in his voice. She tried to remember the inflection, how did he sound? Angry, anxious? No, it was something more sinister. He sounded stern, matter of fact, this was something serious.

_Can I see you tonight?_

5 more words, and those 5 made her heart skip a beat. What kind of question was that? Of course, he could see her tonight. He could see her every night, every _second_, if he wanted to. He was the only man she ever trusted, fully. He was the only person she felt safe with. 4 words to terrify her, and 5 more words to put her back on cloud 9…. How was it he had such a hold on her, that he could change her mood in an instant?

_Come around 7, ok? No one will be here then… and hey, don't tell anyone, ok? I mean, anyone, at all._

Really, what did he expect her to do, shout it from the rooftop? Who would she tell, who _could_she tell? No one would understand. She had fallen for him so long ago, but never told a soul. Why, now, would she say something? Why risk it all falling apart, before it ever really started?

She was distracted all day at work, and she was sure Captain Cragen noticed. She was distracted a lot lately, and he always noticed. He didn't always say something, but he was always watching. Everyone was. Everyone was always looking for that little _something_ that would tell them for sure: Olivia is falling apart. She tried so hard to keep it together, but since the trial, she found herself unravelling, more than ever.

It made no sense. Lewis was _in prison_. 25 to life for her kidnapping, 25 to life for the rape of Mrs. Mayer, and 2 more consecutive life sentences for the murders of Mr. Mayer and the police officer. He would never see the light of day again. So why was he on her mind now, more than ever?

Deep down, she knew. She couldn't shake that guilty feeling. In her mind, she saw his scars, his limp, his hearing aid…. And she knew, that was her fault. She knew she shouldn't feel guilty, what she did was nothing compared to what he had done… but still, she couldn't shake that feeling that she was no better than him.

_Why didn't I just shoot him? Where did that rage come from? _

She kidded herself that it was a reaction to her 4 day trip through the depths of hell, but she knew. She knew it was more than that. That predisposition to rage and violence had always been inside her. She had just always been able to control it. Until him. He pushed her buttons, and he unleashed the beast in her. She allowed him to do that, and there was no going back.

Olivia shook her head, and brought herself back into the present. She found herself having to do that more and more often. She saw Cragen looking at her, that same look, but he didn't say a word. She just brushed it off and got back to her paperwork. Thank God it was a slow day, because there was no chance of her focusing on anything else but Lewis…. And the man she was meeting tonight.


	2. Chapter 2: The Meeting

**Chapter 2 : The Meeting**

Time seemed to be moving faster than ever as Olivia scrambled to get ready. She had been so grateful to get that call from Brian earlier, saying he'd have to work late tonight and not to expect him home. It was such a relief to not have to lie to him, saying that she would have to work late. It disturbed Olivia how lying was becoming so natural for her, she didn't like that side of herself. But she didn't have time to think about that now, she was going to be late.

She did a final once-over in front of the full length mirror. Black dress, low cut but tasteful, her hair loosely curled, framing her face, that new eyeshadow that made her eyes really pop. She wondered if it was overkill, she didn't want to come off as desperate.

It was too late to change now, anyway. She didn't want to be late. She hopped into a cab and headed across the city. She stared out the window in silence. It amazed her how the city could look so dreamy at night, even when she knew all of the horrible, unthinkable things that happen after dark. Maybe it wasn't the city that looked dreamy, maybe her vision was clouded by the hope of what was to come tonight.

The cab pulled up and she paid and ran inside, feeling a little too giddy for her own liking. The door was open, as he said it would be, and he was right, no one was there. She headed to the room where she knew she would find him, and knocked lightly on the door.

"Hello, Olivia. I'm glad you came."

"Of course, and don't worry, I didn't tell anyone I came here."

"Good," he motioned for her to come in and sit down. He could immediately tell by what she was wearing that she had misinterpreted his intentions for seeing her tonight. This was going to be harder than he had originally thought.

"Olivia, I needed to see you because… well, there's no easy way to tell you, so I'm just going to come out with it, we need to talk, about Brian."

Olivia stared at him, confused. She knew that if this night were to go where she hoped it would, the topic of Brian was going to have to come up, eventually. But she didn't even want to think about him tonight. It was bad enough she was keeping secrets from him, and lying, she didn't want to think about the fact that she was about to cheat on him, too.

"I don't want to talk about Brian," she said, finally.

"Liv, I think… I think I've given you the wrong impression. I couldn't say much on the phone earlier, but the reason I called you, was because there's something I need to tell you, and it is about Brian."

"Dr. Lindstrom…." She started, but she could see by the look on his face that he was serious, and what was coming, she wasn't going to like.


	3. Chapter 3: The Revelation

**Chapter 3 : The Revelation**

The next several minutes were like a blur of suspended reality. Olivia felt like she was outside herself, Dr. Lindstrom's voice sounded a million miles away, and yet she heard every word.

_Olivia, I hired a private investigator… I've had him tail Brian for some time now… What he found was, well, disturbing to say the least._

The anxiety was welling up inside her so quickly, she felt sickened at the thought that Dr. Lindstrom could do such a thing. Hire someone to tail Brian? What was he thinking? She sat in stunned silence as he continued, his words coming at her faster than she could process them.

_Olivia, I'm sorry, but… well, I don't even know how to say this. Brian, he's just not who you think he is. The PI discovered, Brian knows Lewis, he knew him long before you ever encountered him. He set you up, Olivia. He and Lewis, they were working together._

This hit Olivia like a knife through the heart. She snapped back into the moment, and met Dr. Lindstrom's eyes. Her face was ashen, and she spoke softly, "how… how could you?"

Dr. Lindstrom was taken aback. "How could I? Olivia, are you hearing what I'm saying? Brian, he helped orchestrate the whole thing. He knew that Amanda would be in the park that day, Lewis went there to get caught, to get brought in to the station, so that he could come face to face with you. Olivia, Brian gave him the key to your apartment, that's how he got in. Lewis knew your captain gave you 2 days off, he knew he could take his time at your apartment, and no one was coming. That's why Brian cancelled his plans with you that weekend…"

Olivia thought back to that night. The phone call from Brian, she had forgotten about that. Surely, she had never told Dr. Lindstrom. How could she have, she had forgotten until now. She felt sick. She couldn't speak, she just shook her head. _No. No, this isn't right. No._

Olivia took a deep breath and met Dr. Lindstrom's gaze again, this time with a look of sheer defiance in her eyes.

"You're lying."

"Olivia, no, I-"

She didn't give him a chance to finish. She jumped up, panic overcoming her. Tears were coming now, she couldn't stop them. She turned away so he wouldn't see her face. Her cheeks were burning with humiliation.

"Olivia," he started again, as he reached out to touch her shoulder. She flinched from his hand as if it had burned her. She spun around to face him again. She struggled to compose herself, but it was no use now.

"I can't believe you. Brian would never… you're lying. I can't believe I thought…. I have to go!" Olivia turned and ran from his office. Dr. Lindstrom chased after her, and caught up with her just as she stumbled on the bottom stair. She caught herself and looked at him. "Stay away from me! Get away from me! You're sick, leave me alone!"

Taking a deep breath, Olivia turned and left out the front door of the office building. Dr. Lindstrom didn't try to follow. Olivia walked for a few blocks before her black high heels started cutting into her feet. She stopped to take them off and continued, barefoot. She couldn't think, she could barely breath, she just cried.

_I can't believe what an idiot I am. I really thought he wanted me, and he cared for me, but he just wants to torment me. He knows my deepest fears, how could he use them against me like that? Why would he lie like that? Why? How could I be so stupid?_

A cab pulled up beside Olivia, and the driver asked her if she needed a ride. She looked down at her bare feet, which were bleeding now from walking on God-knows-what on the city sidewalks. She got in and asked him to take her home.


	4. Chapter 4: Welcome Home, Olivia

**Chapter 4 : Welcome Home, Olivia**

Olivia had regained her composure, for the most part, by the time the cab driver dropped her off at her building. She walked into the front lobby and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Red eyes, puffy cheeks, mascara streaks. She let out a sigh and breathed a silent "thank you" that Brian wouldn't be home any time soon.

These days, Olivia generally hated coming home to an empty apartment. She had gotten used to always having someone around, after so many years of solitude. Tonight, though the darkness and silence that greeted her as she opened the door was more than welcome.

She closed the door behind her and locked the deadbolt. She double checked to make sure it clicked, and pulled the door handle just to be positive. She missed the days where she didn't have to double check.

She slipped out of her black dress, and into a shower that was a little too hot. This had become more common place as well, a little to scalding, because she never felt completely clean anymore. She ran her hand down her neck to her chest, and stopped on the rough patches of scarred skin, a constant reminder of the hell she went through a year ago. In a way, she wanted to embrace the scars, a memento, a reminder that she lived, she survived. But that wasn't the case. Every time she touched them, she relived the horror of those 4 days.

It had been a year now and it still felt as fresh as the day it happened. She remembered everything. She even remembered how he smelled. She remembered the feeling of his face, on hers, kissing her so roughly. His voice, his eyes, his hands….

Olivia shook herself out of it. She knew she couldn't let her mind wander like this. It had been 4 months since Lewis had been convicted and sentenced. 4 months that she should have been able to feel safe. So why couldn't she?

She stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself up in a white towel. She looked at herself in the mirror, again, trying to see some semblance of the person she was before all of this. She wanted to go back.

Olivia headed into her bedroom and dressed in a pair of grey yoga pants and a warm sweatshirt. She felt so empty inside, and started to wish Brian had not had to work late tonight. She just wanted him here now, to hold her. She wanted that reassurance that Dr. Lindstrom was lying.

Olivia picked up her cellphone and selected Brian's name, but hesitated. She decided not to hit "call", he hated her bothering him at work. But she needed…. Someone. She scrolled through her contacts until she hit the name she was looking for: Elliot. And as she had so many times before that night, she hung up after the first ring.

She wanted to badly to talk to him, to let him take her back to the time before all of this, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She wondered what he must think, every time he sees that she had called. Of all people, she didn't want him to know how bad it had gotten.

Just then, Olivia heard a noise in the living room. She peeked around the corner from the doorway to see a light on. She glanced at the front door. It was shut, but the deadbolt was unlocked now.

_I'm sure I checked that._

"Brian?" Olivia called out, hopefully. She thought she could hear some muffled voices. She grabbed her gun and headed out of the bedroom.

She was met with a familiar face. "Oh, hey Liv."


	5. Chapter 5: Three's a Crowd

**Chapter 5 : Three's a Crowd**

Olivia froze.

_This isn't happening. This isn't real._

But it was real. Standing there, plain as day, in the middle of her living room, was William Lewis.

_Run!_ She screamed inside her head. _Move, do something, shoot him!_

But she couldn't move, she couldn't breathe. And he just smiled at her.

"Olivia."

Brian's voice startled her. She hadn't even seen him there, she was too focuses on Lewis. His voice was enough to snap her back into reality, and she drew her gun and pointed it at Lewis.

"Liv, what are you doing?" Brian sounded panicked.

"Brian! What's he doing here!" Olivia finally found her voice.

"Liv, it's ok," Brian said, moving towards her.

Olivia's breath quickened, her heart was racing. _Oh my God, it's true! Dr. Lindstrom was telling the truth!_

"Stay away from me!" she screamed, turning the gun towards Brian.

Brian put his hands up, he was unarmed. "Olivia, calm down. Put the gun down."

Olivia's heart beat in her head was deafening her. She could barely hear Brian, the room was spinning. Lewis started to move forward, still grinning. He looked so assured, like he knew it wasn't in her to shoot him. How could he think she wouldn't? Weren't his limp and his scars enough to prove she could do anything to him? _Don't move! Get away from me!_ Olivia couldn't tell if she was screaming out loud, or just in her head. Lewis didn't stop. She knew what she had to do. She had no choice. She pulled the trigger.


	6. Chapter 6: Shots and Sirens

**Chapter 6: Shots and Sirens**

There was a bang. And then, after what felt like an eternity, a thud. A man hit the floor. Olivia didn't move. Everything had gone dark. She blinked rapidly, but it wasn't her eyes, the lights were out. She staggered backwards to the light switch in the kitchen and flicked it on.

Lewis was on the ground. There was so much blood.

"Brian?" Olivia called out. She didn't see him. The window was open, and the lamp beside it was fallen over, broken glass from the blub on the carpet. She hadn't even heard it fall.

She went to the window, never taking her eyes off Lewis on the floor. He gun was still on him. She didn't have the nerve to go over and check for a pulse.

"Brian!" She called, panicking. _Is he still here? Did he go out the window? I have to look._ Olivia glanced quickly out the window, but saw no one. In the distance she could hear sirens.

Her phone was ringing in the bedroom. It seemed a million miles away. Her eyes were fixed on Lewis. The sirens were getting louder. She wondered if someone had called 911. The blood pool was getting bigger. She couldn't move.

The sirens were right outside. Olivia breathed a sigh of relief. Someone would come in, someone would check and make sure Lewis was dead. She couldn't do it. He was face down on the carpet. Through the open window, she thought she could faintly hear music, a familiar song. _It can't be, it's not. I'm imagining this._

Banging on the door.

"Olivia! It's Fin! Are you ok?". More banging, but Olivia couldn't find her voice. It didn't take Fin long to discover the door was unlocked, and swing it open. His gun was drawn, "Olivia, put the gun down".

Olivia, looked down at the gun in her hand. It was still aimed at Lewis. She dropped it to the floor, immediately, and looked back up at Fin. He was coming towards her now, putting his weapon away. Uni's an EMTs were entering the apartment now, but Olivia just stared at Fin.

"Liv, what did you do?"

Olivia didn't understand the question. _What did I do? What does he mean?_

Fin could tell in an instant that Olivia's mind wasn't with her. Her eyes were fixed on him, but glassy. She wasn't really looking at him, more like looking through him. Her hands were shaking. He grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Liv, you shot Brian."

_Liv, you shot Brian._

_Brian._

_It's Brian._

_Oh my God, it's Brian._

Olivia watched the EMTs turn Brian over. She fell to her knees. And then she remembered. Lewis.

"Fin! Lewis, he- he" Olivia was too panicked to get the words out. Fin pulled her back up to her feet and cupped her face in his hands.

"Liv, just tell me what happened."

"Lewis. He was – Oh God – He was here. With Brian. They were here. I shot – I shot him. Not Brian. I shot Lewis. I know – I know I shot Lewis. He must – Oh my God. I shot Brian? I – I…" Olivia's voice trailed off. The EMTs were covering Brian with a sheet. She knew what that meant.

"Liv," Fin started, leaning in close to her, speaking low so no one else heard, "Lewis is in prison, you know that. It was a flashback, it must have been your PTSD. We're gonna have to take you in. Don't say anything, at all, to anyone. Got it?"

"Fin, no, I saw him. It was him. He was here. It wasn't a flashback, it was real. He was standing right here." Tears were flowing now. Fin pulled Olivia into a tight hug.

"It's ok," he whispered, "it'll be ok."


	7. Chapter 7: Switching Teams

**Chapter 7: Switching Teams**

Olivia sat alone in the interview room, waiting for her union delegate and Lieutenant Tucker to arrive. The room was cold and silent. Olivia felt numb. She knew Captain Cragen was watching her through the one-way mirror. She wondered what he was thinking. She imagined he thought it was just a matter of time before something like this happened. She wondered if he blamed himself. He had been somewhat of a surrogate father to her throughout the years, and she knew he felt that he wasn't doing enough to help her through this.

She didn't want him to feel that way. She didn't want him to think she needed help.

She heard the door open, and was surprised to see it wasn't the union delegate, or Tucker who entered.

"Alex? What are you doing here?"

Alex Cabot smiled and sat down next to Olivia. "Well, I heard through the grapevine that you need a lawyer. And since I no longer work for the DA's office, I can serve as your defense lawyer."

"Alex, what am I going to do?"

"Well, just tell me what happened."

Olivia sighed. She wasn't even sure she _knew_ what happened. Her mind had been playing so many tricks on her lately, she didn't even know what was real anymore.

"Alex, Lewis was in my apartment, I know that he was."

The look on Alex's face said it all, she didn't believe Olivia. "Liv, I called over to Rikers. William Lewis is at Bellevue Hospital. He had a seizure last week, and they transferred him there. He is being watched 24 hours a day. He couldn't have been at your apartment."

"Alex, I'm not crazy, I know what I saw. It wasn't a flashback, it wasn't a hallucination, it wasn't anything, it was Lewis. Listen, I was at Dr. Lindstrom's office earlier, and he told me that he had an investigator trail Brian. He told me that Brian and Lewis, they were working together. Brian brought him into the apartment tonight."

"Olivia, is that why you shot him? Because of what Dr. Lindstrom told you? Because, if so, I need to know. Your already fragile mental state, combined with a suggestion like that from a man that you trust, that's a recipe for disaster. I want to get Dr. Haung in here to talk to you, he can back you up on this."

"No! Alex, come on! Do you really think I would shoot my _boyfriend_ because of what my _therapist_ said? I'm telling you Lewis was there. And my fragile mental state? What are you, my shrink now?"

"Liv! I'm trying to help you."

"You wanna help me? Take me to Bellevue and let me see Lewis for myself, because I'm telling you, _he's not there!_".

Just then, the door opened again, and Tucker walked in.

Before Olivia could open her mouth, Alex spoke up, "my _client_ is invoking her right to remain silent. She has _nothing_ to say at this time."

Unfazed, Tucker turned to Olivia. "A former prosecutor as your defense attorney? Are you sure that's wise, Detective?"

"It's Sergeant," Olivia corrected him.

"Well, we'll see," Tucker smirked. He was enjoying this a little too much. "And, you know it's going to be in your own best interest to confess. Don't drag this out, _Sergeant _Benson. You've been on the wrong side of a few too many IAB investigations, don't you think?"

Olivia just glared. _A few too many trumped up charges and false allegations, more like it._

"In any event, we will be taking your badge, and your gun. Confess, or don't, suit yourself. Either way, you're off to central booking… but, you know how that works."

Alex sighed, "Liv, I'll meet you there. Don't say anything, ok?"

"Yeah, I know how it works."


	8. Chapter 8: Former Comrades

**Chapter 8**

All eyes were on her as Alex walked back into the squad room. She hadn't managed to get through to Olivia any better at central booking than she did in the interview room.

"Alex, what's going on, what can you tell us?"

"Don," Alex sighed, "you know I can't discuss Liv's case with you. I'm not working for the DA's office anymore, I'm bound by privilege laws."

"Ok, well what I can do to help?" Cragen persisted.

"I just wish I had something to work with here. Are we absolutely sure that Lewis is at Bellevue?"

"I called over there right after you talked to the PO at Rikers," Cragen nodded, "they told me Lewis was brought in last week after a grand mal seizure, and he's in a coma now. They have him restrained to the bed, and under 24 hour supervision. Alex, there's no possible way he was in Liv's apartment."

Alex nodded, she already knew that to be true.

"Ok, well she's being arraigned first thing tomorrow. I've gotta go, I've got to try to figure this out before then." Alex sighed and left her former comrades.

"Captain," Fin started, walking over to Cragen, "something's just not adding up here. I know Liv's been all over the map, but you didn't see her when we got to that apartment. She was completely spooked, something went down in there. When we brought her in, she said she thought Lewis might have gone out the window, and knocked that lamp over in the process."

"So, you're thinking Bellevue's lying?"

"I don't know, Captain, but… someone else was in that apartment, I'm sure of it."

"Ok, well, we're not gonna get a straight answer from Bellevue, but maybe I can call in a favour, and get someone in there, undercover."


	9. Chapter 9: Candy Striper

**Chapter 9: Candy Striper**

Amanda Rollins was greeted in the front entrance by handsome young man.

"Hi, my name is Jeremy, and I am the head of volunteer services here at Bellevue! And you're name is?"

"Amanda," she smiled. Going into Bellevue posing as a volunteer wasn't ideal, but since IAB was all over Olivia's case, Cragen hadn't found a way to get someone in there in any other facet.

"Amanda" Jeremy smiled back, shaking her hand. "Now, you're volunteer application says you're interested in working with, coma patients? Is that right?"

"Well, back home when my mama was in a car accident, she was in a coma for about 6 months. The doctors told us talking to her and reading to her really helped her pull through," Amanda laid on the southern drawl, knowing it was a sure-fire way to get what she wanted from a man.

And it was working.

"Well, Amanda, we don't normally let the volunteers work directly with the patients from the start, but according to your application, you seem to have enough experience. That, and you're just too pretty to say no to."

Amanda smiled, and followed Jeremy up to the head trauma ward. Immediately, she saw the bed that must be Lewis's, on the far side of the room. The curtain was partially drawn, so she couldn't see his face, but she noticed right away the restraints on his wrists and ankles, as well as the guard sitting beside the bed working on a crossword.

Jeremy caught her looking. "Hey, you might want to stay away from that one. He's a transfer from the prison. He might be out cold, but from what I hear, he's done some pretty nasty stuff. He doesn't need to be coming out of that coma."

Amanda nodded. _Oh, if you only knew._

"Well, none of these patients get many visitors, so I'm sure any one of them would benefit from your reading to them. I would love to stick around, but we're real busy today. I'll come back in half an hour and check up on you."

Jeremy left the room, and Amanda turned back to Lewis's bed. She looked at the guard again, and realized he wasn't working on that crossword, he had dozed off. Amanda rolled her eyes.

Amanda got an idea, and pulled out her phone and headed over to Lewis's bed. She figured if she could take a picture of Lewis restrained to the bed and show Olivia, it might snap her out of this delusion she was suffering.

Amanda stepped up to Lewis's bed and gasped at what she saw. _That's not him!_ Amanda grabbed the patient record that was attached to the bed.

PATIENT: LEWIS, WILLIAM

_Oh my God._

Amanda snapped a picture of the man in the bed, and sent it to Cragen.

_Shit, Olivia was right, Lewis is out there!_


	10. Chapter 10: After Arraignment

**Chapter 10: After Arraignment**

_Bail is set at $250,000._ The words resonated in Olivia's brain. This felt all too familiar, she had been here before, only this time Elliot wasn't coming to bail her out. No one was.

Olivia's head was spinning. She had yet to fully process what was happening here. Everything was moving too fast. She wished she could make it stop, just for 5 minutes, and let everything settle in.

She thought back to the arraignment that morning. Cragen, Fin and Amaro were there, to support her. She wondered where Rollins was… maybe working on another case? It didn't really matter, she would have been fine if none of them would have showed up. She didn't need them seeing her like that.

Brian was dead, at her hand. Lewis was there, or he wasn't. Brian set her up, or he didn't. Someone was there, weren't they? Didn't someone knock over the lamp? Didn't someone go out the window? If not Lewis, then who? She had seen him, plain as day, but now she wasn't even sure she could trust her own memory.

_What the hell is happening?_

The only thing she knew, for sure, was that Brian was dead. And she killed him.

Alex wanted her to plead not guilty, by reason of mental disease or defect. She wanted her to talk to Dr. Haung, and get him to back it up. PTSD, a flashback… she couldn't be held accountable.

_I'm losing it. I must be._

Olivia laid down on the cot in her holding cell, and fell into a restless sleep. She had no idea how much time had passed when the guard woke her to take her to the prison interview room. Alex was waiting for her there.

"Liv," Alex started right away, "we need to start working on your defense. I have been trying to negotiate a plea bargain with the DA since the arraignment, but he's not willing to compromise. They want to go for the maximum."

Olivia just stared blankly at her friend. She didn't want to hear about this, she couldn't bring herself to care at this point. She wondered why Alex didn't say, _Liv, how ARE you? Are you OK?_ A plea bargain. Olivia figured that meant Alex believed she was guilty. _Maybe Tucker was right, maybe a former ADA is not a great choice for a defense attorney. Maybe she can't stop thinking like a prosecutor._

"Olivia, are you even listening?" No, she wasn't. Alex was talking, but Olivia was lost in her own thoughts.

"Sorry, what?"

Alex sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fin is coming to talk to you, as a _detective_, Olivia. So please, listen to me and don't answer questions without my say-so, ok?"

Olivia nodded. She didn't really feel like answering any questions right now, anyway.

"Alex," Olivia finally spoke after several minutes of silence between the two of them, "you don't think I would shoot Brian, right? I mean, on purpose?"

"If I did, would I have flown across the country in the middle of the night, to come here to defend you?"

Olivia thought about that response. It didn't really answer her question.


	11. Chapter 11: Her Interrogation

**Chapter 11: Her Interrogation**

Of all the people in the squad room, Olivia was glad it was Fin who came to interrogate her. One thing she always knew for sure, is he had her back, no matter what.

"Ok, Liv, just start from the beginning. Tell me what happened last night."

Against the advice of her counsel, Olivia told Fin everything: her visit with Dr. Lindstrom, what he had said about Brian, running out, walking till she found a cab, coming home, locking the door, getting out of the shower, hearing voices, and then…

"Fin, I'm not crazy. I _saw_ Lewis. I heard his voice. He was right there. He was who I shot at. I don't know how Brian got hit, I-" Olivia sighed. The more times the relayed this story, the less real it seemed, even to her.

"Liv, do you think that's possible? That Brian gave Lewis the key to your apartment?"

"I don't know, I mean… he got in somehow, right? You saw my apartment that night. You said there was no sign of forced entry. There was no evidence the lock had been picked. The only open window was the fire escape, and there was no evidence it was opened from the inside…." Olivia trailed off, racking her brain trying to think of something, _anything_, she might be forgetting, that would give her the answer one way or another.

"Ok, but, Brian still had his key, right?"

Olivia thought about that. He had given her back the key to turn in to her landlord when she left that building.

"Fin, I don't know, I don't know what to think. Yes, he gave me back the key. But what about the rest? Brian cancelling plans with me? And Lewis knowing that I was off work for 2 days? That can't all be a coincidence!"

"Wait, did Brian know the captain gave you 2 days off?"

"Yes!" Olivia was becoming exasperated now. "That's why we made plans, I called him before I left the station. I got home and Lewis was waiting for me. How can that be a coincidence?"

Olivia could tell by the look on Fin's face that something had just clicked. "What? Fin, what!"

"Brian came to the station the day we found out you were missing. He brought flowers for you. He didn't seem to know that you had two days off. He said he hadn't spoken to you."

"Stop!" Alex suddenly interjected, "we're done here."

"Alex," Olivia started, but Alex just shook her head.

Fin nodded and stood up to leave. Olivia turned back to Alex when Fin was gone.

"What the hell, Alex?"

"Olivia, you shouldn't have said anything. You're making your case worse. You just admitted that Brian still had the key, and the entire squad room can vouch for the fact that he didn't know you were off work those two days."

Olivia sighed and let that sink in.

"Ok, maybe you're right. Alex, I think I might be losing my mind. I want to talk to Dr. Haung."


	12. Chapter 12: Lucky Breaks

**Chapter 12: Lucky Breaks**

Fin left the interrogation with Olivia with far more questions than answers. In his gut, he knew there was something missing. There was a third person in her apartment that night, that much he was sure of.

When he got back to the squad room, Cragen called him into his office right away. Fin couldn't help but notice how old the captain was looking these days. Everything with Olivia was really taking a toll on him. He should have retired a couple months ago, but he had managed to delay it. Now he had two more weeks until Lieutenant Alexandra Eames took over as the SVU captain. Fin was determined to clear Olivia's name before Cragen left. He knew his captain would drive himself crazy with worry over her. Fin worried that he might be enough to drive him to drink, again.

"Fin, we have a problem," Cragen said, holding up the picture of the man in the hospital bed Rollins had texted to him. "This is the man Bellevue has. I've alerted the POs at Rikers, and the staff at Bellevue, both institutions are on total lockdown now, but there's no sign of Lewis. No one even knows how or when he got out. We've put out an ABP but there's no leads, yet."

"Captain, what if Liv's right? What if he was in her apartment that night?"

"CSU is back at her place to sweep again, I want you to meet them there. I was going to try to find a way to post bail, but in all honesty, I think Liv's safest where she is right now. Lewis isn't getting in there, until we know where he is…." Cragen trailed off.

"Captain, we'll find him, don't worry."

"Amanda's on her way over to Liv's now, too. I want every inch of that apartment examined. I'm going to call Alex and give her the heads up about Lewis."

Fin nodded, and headed back out of the station, his stomach in knots.

_Lewis was in the apartment that night. Olivia was right. But how did he get out? There's no way he went out the window, it's a 5 storey drop to concrete. Then again, Lewis is good at disappearing acts._

With every step towards Olivia's door, Fin's anxiety level rose. It was one year ago. One year ago today that he kicked in the door to Olivia's old apartment and discovered that she had been abducted. That thought wasn't sitting well with him.

Amanda was already inside when Fin opened the door. She had a grave look on her face.

"Fin, we've got something. CSU found boot prints on the carpet inside Liv's bedroom closet, and lifted handprints from inside the door. Someone was in there, crouching down. He," Amanda sighed, having a hard time facing the reality of what she was about to say, "he was here, the whole time. On the initial sweep of the apartment, CSU noted that the window to the fire escape was locked. It's open now. He was here, while we were here, hiding in the damn closet, and no one looked there."

Inwardly, Fin felt his rage boiling up at the incompetence of the uni's and CSU working last night. _How many lucky breaks is this bastard going to get?_

"Fin, my gut tells me, it was Lewis. The lab is running the prints now, but I know it was him."

"We're gonna get him," Fin said, unsure of who he was trying to convince more, Amanda or himself.


	13. Chapter 13: The Key

**Chapter 13: The Key**

Fin called Cragen from the lab, to update him on what they had already suspected: they had matched the prints inside Olivia's closet to William Lewis.

"We've got another problem." Fin hated hearing those words from the captain.

"I've been trying to call Alex since you left the station, but it goes straight to voicemail. I called over to central booking to see if she was still there with Liv, and they told me Liv made bail this afternoon. They couldn't tell me who posted. I tried her cell, but there's no answer from her, either."

"She doesn't have her phone," Fin sighed, "CSU found it in her bedroom on the first sweep of her apartment. It went into evidence."

"Well, now Lewis and Olivia are both out there, we don't know where either of them are, and we've managed to convince Liv that Lewis is still locked up. Fin, we gotta find her."

"We'll find her, captain. I think I know who might have bailed her out. I'll go pay him a visit right now." With that, Fin hung up the phone and slammed it down on the table. _Damnit._

"Amanda, we gotta go, Liv's in serious trouble." Fin filled her in on the way out to the car. They made it across the city in record time, and pulled up in front of Dr. Lindstrom's office building just as he was getting out of his own car. Fin slammed the car into park and jumped out, the engine still running.

"Hey!" he yelled, but Lindstrom didn't stop.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" Fin grabbed Lindstrom by the shoulder.

"Can I help you?" Dr. Lindstrom looked genuinely confused.

"Where's Liv?"

"Liv… Olivia? Benson?"

"Come on, Lindstrom, drop the act. I know you posted bail, so where the hell is she?" Fin had only met Dr. Lindstrom a time or two, in passing, but he always got a bad vibe from the guy.

"Posted bail? I don't know what you're talking about. I haven't seen Olivia since last week."

"No, you saw her last night. After hours. We know all about it. You filled her head full of some crap about Cassidy, and now she's in serious trouble."

"Ok," Dr. Lindstrom sighed, "I did see her last night. But what I told her about Brian, that was all true. I can give you the number of the PI, you can check with him."

Fin followed Dr. Lindstrom up to his office. When they reached the door, Lindstrom seemed to struggle with the key.

"Problem with the lock?" Fin asked, figuring that Lindstrom was stalling.

"Well, I just got this key cut yesterday, and it's been giving me some trouble," Lindstrom explained, just as the lock clicked open.

Lindstrom went over to his desk and jotted down the number of the private investigator for Fin. He met the detective's eyes as he handed the paper over. "I'm not kidding about Brian, detective. He's a serious threat to Olivia."

Fin nodded, and turned to head back to Amanda at the car. _He doesn't know. He doesn't know Liv shot Brian. He couldn't have posted bail… so who did?_


	14. Chapter 14: Private Eye

**Chapter 14: Private Eye**

Back in the car, Fin dialled the number Dr. Lindstrom had given him, and got the voicemail of Lucas Douglas, a private investigator in Jersey. Fin left a message, and then hung up with a sigh: they were no further ahead now, than they were before. In fact, with no lead on who could have bailed out Olivia, they were more behind than ever.

Fin called over to the station to see if there was any news on Olivia. There wasn't.

_Where do we go from here?_

Fin thought about going back upstairs. The thought about pummeling that doctor until he talked. _He knows something, he must. _ButFin had nothing to go on. He sighed and put the car back in drive. He didn't even know where he was going to go, he just knew he had to find Olivia before Lewis did.

As they drove, Fin's cell rang.

"Tutuola"

"Detective Tutuola, this is Lucas Douglas. I uh, got a message from you? But I have to say, I'm confused. I don't know a Dr. Lindstrom, and I never tailed a Brian Cassidy."

"You're sure?"

"I think I would remember. I don't do much work in New York, to be perfectly honest. I would have remembered."

"Ok, thanks anyway," Fin hung up the phone. "Shit! That lying bastard!" He quickly filled Amanda in on what the PI had just told him.

"So," Amanda shook her head, "it was all a lie? Cassidy was innocent."

"Wait," Fin said suddenly, "the key!"

Amanda shook her head in confusion, she didn't follow.

"Dr. Lindstrom, he had just had a key cut."

"Fin, what does that have to do with anything?"

"I have a gut feeling. We need to get the evidence from Olivia's abduction, we need to check the keys! Cassidy gave back the key, but that doesn't mean he didn't have a new one made. Lewis wouldn't have taken it with him, so it was probably on the burner with the other ones."

"But, Dr. Lindstrom was lying about the private investigator, why would you think Brian is still involved?"

"Amanda, call me crazy, but I think they're both involved. Cassidy and Lindstrom. Cassidy's not smart enough to pull this off on his own, but Lindstrom is. He set Cassidy up, but he also helped Cassidy set Liv up. Trust me on this."


	15. Chapter 15: Ain't We Got Fun

**Chapter 15: Ain't We Got Fun**

Olivia was starting to come to. She felt woozy and her head was pounding. She blinked her eyes rapidly to try to focus her vision.

_Where am I?_

She was lying on hard floor, maybe ceramic tiles. It was cold against her cheek. Her mouth felt like it was full of cotton, and she couldn't swallow. She tried to clear her throat, and realized she couldn't open her mouth. Duct tape. She didn't have to see it to realize what it was.

Her vision was clearing a bit. The room was dim. It was daylight but the curtains were drawn. She couldn't lift her head, so she scanned the room with her eyes. There was no one there. She could see a table and chairs, and beyond that was a room with carpet. It was unfamiliar to her, she didn't recognize anything.

_Where the hell am I?_

She smelled the distinct coppery smell of fresh blood. She couldn't tell if it was hers. He ached all over.

On the floor ahead of her, she spotted a smashed iPhone. _Is that my phone?_ She tried to reach for it, but her hands were bound. More duct tape.

She could feel her strength returning, slowly, and she started to inch her way over to the phone, still lying on her side on the floor.

After what seemed like an eternity, she managed to grab it. Pieces of the shattered glass cut her fingers but she barely felt it as she turned the phone on. The phone chimed as it powered on.

_Shit, Shit, shit!_

Olivia didn't even dare to breathe. Whoever had her here, they would know she was awake. No sound. No one was coming. She looked at the phone. Several missed calls from Don Cragen. _This isn't my phone, that's not how his name is in my contacts._ A missed text from Cragen. She opened it.

_Alex, call me ASAP. Lewis is OUT! _

Olivia felt her heart skip a beat. Fragmented memories started flooding back to her. Alex with her at central booking. Someone bailed her out. _Who?_ She couldn't remember. She signed the log. Alex was still there. And a man. _Who? _Walking outside, the sun was blinding. _My car's over here, I'll drive you home_. That was the man. Olivia couldn't remember what the voice sounded like. She tried to picture her surroundings at that moment, but it was a blank. _Liv can't go home, her apartment's a crime scene._ That was Alex. _She can stay with me._ The man again.

_Who was he? I got in a car with him._

The rest was still a blank. She looked back at Alex's phone. _Where's Alex?_ Olivia glanced around the room again, as far as she was able to see. No sign of her. She looked back at the phone. _I need to call for help._ Olivia tried to manoeuver the phone in her hands, which was no easy task, since they were bound together at the wrist. The phone slipped and slid just out of Olivia's reach.

She pulled herself up into a seated position to try to better get her bearings. She was so dizzy. She looked down and saw her ankles were also bound with tape. She ripped the tape off her mouth, and then used her teeth to free her wrists. Once she got her legs free too, she crawled over to the phone.

She could see the whole room now, including Alex, unconscious in the corner. She grabbed the phone and crawled over to Alex, who was tied with rope and duct tape, slumped over against the wall. Olivia reached her hand out to Alex's neck, fearing the worst. Olivia breathed a sigh of relief when she felt her friend's weak pulse.

"Alex," Olivia whispered, shaking her shoulders, "Alex! Wake up, we gotta get out of here."

Alex didn't move. Olivia suddenly remembered the phone in her hand, but before she could start dialing, a hand from behind snatched it from her. She spun around to see a gun pointed right at her forehead.


	16. Chapter 16: Unfinished Business

**Chapter 16: Unfinished Business**

"Calling someone?" Olivia knew that voice, it was the voice that haunted her nightmares. She squeezed her eyes shut, she tried to block him out. _This isn't real! This can't be real! Lewis is in Bellevue, this is a dream. Wake up! Wake up!_

But she didn't wake up. It wasn't a dream. It was all too real. Lewis grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to her feet, still holding the gun to her head with the other hand.

"You and I have unfinished business."

Olivia opened her eyes to meet the cold, heartless gaze of William Lewis. He had a smirk, as he always seemed to have. He was so calm, always in control.

Lewis still had a hold of Olivia's hair as he leaned in to kiss her roughly on the mouth. She tried to squirm away, until she heard the distinct _click _of the safety coming off the gun at her temple. She froze again.

"Don't be like that, baby. Don't you know, today is our anniversary?"

Olivia closed her eyes again. She did know. One year ago today, Lewis had abducted her from her apartment. He tortured her physically for 4 grueling days, and tortured her mentally for the year that had followed. He was relentless, the memories of her ordeal were pervasive, they permeated her consciousness, every day. They tormented her dreams. How could she ever forget what today was?

"I have a special surprise planned for us." Lewis grabbed Olivia by the arm and started to lead her across the room. She turned and looked back at Alex, still unconscious. "Don't worry about her," Lewis laughed, "her time is coming. But you're first. I'm not letting you get away from me again."

Olivia's legs were still shaky as Lewis led her down the hallway to the bedroom. She had a hard time keeping her balance, and felt like there was a fog in her brain. _What did he give me?_

Lewis opened the bedroom door and switched on the light. Olivia blinked a few times, trying to adjust her eyes. There was a bed in the center of the room, with just a bare mattress. There were ropes in place at the headboard and footboard. He had already gotten it ready, in anticipation. That wasn't his usual MO.

Then Olivia noticed something startling. Someone else was in the room. A man, tied to a chair facing the bed. His mouth duct taped.

"Elliot," Olivia breathed. He was looking at her, and she could see the panic in his eyes. The rest of her memory came flooding back. Elliot had bailed her out, again. Alex had called him. Elliot had walked with them out to the car, when a man came up behind Olivia and put a gun to the back of her head. Lewis had come around the other side and knocked Alex out with the butt of his gun. The next blow had come to the back of Olivia's head, from whoever was friend. Your friend, your old partner…. You couldn't seem to get him out of your head last time we were together, could you? You know what happens now, don't you?"

Olivia was frozen. Her eyes were still locked on Elliot's.

"Don't you!" Lewis grabbed her face and made her look at him. Olivia nodded.

"Tell him."

Olivia drew in a shaky breath. "You have to watch," she whispered.

"And what happens if he looks away?"

Olivia squeezed her eyes shut again.

"Olivia, you have to tell him the rules."

Olivia opened her eyes and looked at Elliot again. "If you try to close your eyes, or look away, he'll burn me with his cigarette." Memories of Mrs. Mayer flooded over Olivia now. She didn't want Elliot to go through what she had been through. She knew the damage that would do to him. She knew what it had done to her.

"Good girl. Now let's have some fun."


	17. Chapter 17: Catching A Break

**Chapter 17: Catching A Break**

Fin dumped the individually bagged keys from the box of evidence collected from Olivia's apartment after her abduction. 4 were dull, and but one was shiny and looked new. They hadn't thought much of it the first time around, because they didn't have a reason to.

The previous investigation had determined that the keys found on the burner belonged to Olivia. Olivia had only been able to account for 4 missing keys: one for her apartment, 2 for her car, and 1 that was the old key to her mother's place, that she hadn't been able to part with since her death. The shiny key was in a baggie labelled "UNKNOWN". Fin picked it up and compared it to the baggie marked "BENSON APARTMENT". A perfect match.

"Son of a bitch!"

Lewis had a copy of the key. Cassidy must have made him a copy. _But where does Dr. Lindstrom fit in to all of this?_

Fin headed back to the station to see if Rollins and the rest of the squad had gotten any closer to locating Olivia.

"Fin! I was about to call you. We got a hit off Cabot's cell phone," Amanda informed him, "we have a location on it. We tried calling, it rang once and then went straight to voicemail."

"But you got the location? Where?"

"A beach house on Staten Island…. Owned by Dr. Lindstrom. Units have already been dispatched, and Amaro and a uni just left to pick up Dr. Lindstrom"

"Alright, let's get to that beach house."


	18. Chapter 18: The Showdown

**Chapter 18: The Showdown**

Lewis put the gun in the back of his jeans and grabbed Olivia's wrist with both hands, forcing her backwards towards the bed. Her heart was pounding hard, and her panicked eyes scanned the room for something, _anything_, to use.

He pushed her back and she fell onto the bed, her head hitting the headboard. A sharp pain shot from her skull to her neck. It was the same spot she had been hit earlier, than knocked her out. She blinked away the black spots that momentarily blurred her vision.

Lewis was working fast, he had almost finished tying her right wrist to the bedframe. He was using the full weight of his body to hold her down. Olivia clawed at his face with her free hand, but Lewis didn't even flinch. He pulled the rope tight on her right wrist, and grabbed her left.

He paused momentarily, and drew his face in close to hers. "You remembered I like a struggle," he smiled, and leaned in to kiss her again, hard. He held her free wrist with one hand, and prevented her from turning her head away with the other.

He forced his tongue into her mouth, and Olivia didn't hesitate. She bit down, hard. Lewis jerked back, and Olivia tasted the metallic taste of his blood in her mouth. She turned her head to spit it out on the mattress, and suddenly felt the sharp blow of Lewis's fist on her temple.

She turned to face him again. The room was spinning, but her focus was locked on his face. He looked like a wild animal. His eyes were wide, and full of rage. Blood covered his chin and neck, and stained the collar of his shirt. Olivia's eyes widened in fear. She knew if she didn't act fast, it was game over for her. No one was coming to save her. Alex and Elliot were both tied up. No one knew she was here. She had to save herself.

Lewis lurched forward and forced her free hand to the other side of the bedframe, where another piece of rope was waiting. Olivia managed to get her right leg free from under him. She planted her right foot down on the mattress, and used every ounce of strength to drive her pelvis up and knock Lewis off of her. He rolled off the left side of the bed, hitting his forehead on the nightstand. Olivia grabbed the rope that her wrist was tied to and pulled herself to the opposite corner of the mattress.

Olivia pulled herself up into a seated position and pulled her knees it towards her chest, planting both feet on the mattress. She kept her eyes on Lewis as she tried to get her wrist free from the rope. He was on hands and knees now, but still looking down. Olivia could still see blood dripping from his mouth. He seemed dazed, from a combination of blood loss and hitting his head. It was then that Olivia noticed that the gun was gone from the back of his jeans.

Her eyes quickly scanned the mattress, and what she could see of the floor from her angle, but she didn't see it. She couldn't see his hands, and panic raced through her. She worked harder at the knots in the rope, but she couldn't tell if she was making them looser or tighter.

Lewis stood up. His hands were empty.

_Where is the gun?_

He lunged at her, and with her back pressed firmly against the headboard, Olivia lifted both feet and kicked him, hard, in the chest. He fell back again, this time hitting the mirror on the wall with his shoulder. It shattered around him, and he fell forward to his knees.

Olivia took a chance and took her eyes off of him to look at the rope she was working on. She got the knot loose and scrambled back, falling off the edge of the bed. She hit the floor at Elliot's feet. Holding the arm of his chair to steady herself, she ripped the duct tape off his mouth, and started working on the rope on his arms.

"Liv!" Elliot shouted, and Olivia turned around to see Lewis coming over the bed at her. She scrambled around the foot of the bed as quickly as she could manage, but he came up from behind her and grabbed her ankle, knocking her forward onto the floor. The force knocked the wind out of her for a moment, and she could feel him dragging her back by the ankle.

Then she saw it. The gun, on the floor, just under the bed. She grabbed onto the bedpost and tried to pull herself away from Lewis. She glanced once at Elliot, and she could see he was struggling to get loose from the chair, but she hadn't had time to loosen the rope enough. It was up to her to save herself.

Lewis was stronger than her, but he didn't seem at full capacity. She could hear him wheezing from his partially collapsed lung, and she knew she had a chance. She dug her free foot into the carpet for leverage, and with one hand on the bedpost, she pulled herself far enough to get the gun.

Lewis yanked her leg hard and pulled her back towards him. He was hovering over her. He grabbed her by the arm to turn her onto her back, and she put the gun up to his face.

Olivia's hands were shaking. Lewis's blood and sweat dripped down on her chest. He was smiling. _How is this happening? I have a gun and I'm terrified, and he's smiling_. Olivia tried to will herself to squeeze the trigger, but her fingers weren't co-operating. _Oh my God, do it! Do it!_ She screamed inside her own head.

"Olivia, shoot him!" Elliot's voice came like a wave over her. In an instant, she was calm. She wasn't shaking now, she wasn't scared anymore. Lewis watched her eyes change, and he knew. They both knew.

Lights out.


	19. Chapter 19: Lights Out

**Chapter 19: Lights Out**

Fin knew they were getting close to the beach house by the flashing lights of the squad cars ahead. The ripped down the road like a stunt driver, and felt slightly bad for Amanda, with the terrified look on her face, but he had to get there, now.

When he pulled into the driveway, he could see that the Staten Island police were still at the door, banging.

"What the hell are you doing?" Fin yelled, pushing past them. Without hesitation, he kicked in the door. Moments later, they heard the gunshot. Fin and Amanda ran inside, guns drawn.

"Fin!" Amanda motioned towards Alex, who was awake now, but still tied up. Her eyes were wide.

Amanda ran over to her. "Where's Liv?" Alex motioned toward the hallway with her head, and Fin continued in that direction while Amanda worked on freeing Alex.

At the end of the hall, Fin could see light peeking through the partially opened door. Even with his bullet proof vest on and weapon drawn, he still approached with caution. He could hear movement and muffled voices. He put his palm flat on the door, and pushed it open, silently.

He breathed a sigh of relief, when he saw Lewis in a pool of blood on the floor. Olivia was crouched beside the bed, her head down, the gun still in her hand, and, to Fin's confusion, Elliot Stabler was tied to a chair on the other side of the room. He had one arm free and was rapidly working on getting the other arm loose.

Fin turned his attention back to Olivia.

"Liv." Olivia gasped and looked up, startled by Fin's voice. "Liv, hand me the gun." Fin approached slowly, his hand outstretched. Olivia nodded and placed the gun in Fin's hand.

"Are you ok?" Fin was disturbed by the amount of blood he saw on Olivia's clothes, having no idea that most of it wasn't hers.

Olivia looked down at her shirt, and then back up at Fin. "Yeah. I am. I'm finally free." She stood up, just as Elliot came across the room, finally out of his own restraints. He pulled her into a hug and she closed her eyes.

"Alex!" Olivia gasped, suddenly remembering.

"Rollins is with her, she's ok." Fin assured her, and the 3 made their way back out to the living room. The Staten Island cops entered the bedroom to secure the crime scene.

Olivia glanced around the room, and spotted a picture of Dr. Lindstrom and his family on the fireplace mantel. She walked over to it, and picked it up. She looked back over to Fin.

"What the hell is going on?"


End file.
